Hannah (7) and Alena (9) are two sisters who live in Merkenbrechts, a village of 170 inhabitants in Waldviertel, an isolated rural area of Austria, near the Czech border. The girls have two older brothers, but spend much of their time together in a carefree life, swimming, playing outdoors, and engrossed in games around the house.

July 20, 2012

Hannah (7) and Alena (9) are two sisters who live in Merkenbrechts, a village of 170 inhabitants in Waldviertel, an isolated rural area of Austria, near the Czech border. The girls have two older brothers, but spend much of their time together in a carefree life, swimming, playing outdoors, and engrossed in games around the house.

Hannah (7) and Alena (9) are two sisters who live in Merkenbrechts, a village of 170 inhabitants in Waldviertel, an isolated rural area of Austria, near the Czech border. The girls have two older brothers, but spend much of their time together in a carefree life, swimming, playing outdoors, and engrossed in games around the house.

August 8, 2012

Hannah (7) and Alena (9) are two sisters who live in Merkenbrechts, a village of 170 inhabitants in Waldviertel, an isolated rural area of Austria, near the Czech border. The girls have two older brothers, but spend much of their time together in a carefree life, swimming, playing outdoors, and engrossed in games around the house.

Hannah (7) and Alena (9) are two sisters who live in Merkenbrechts, a village of 170 inhabitants in Waldviertel, an isolated rural area of Austria, near the Czech border. The girls have two older brothers, but spend much of their time together in a carefree life, swimming, playing outdoors, and engrossed in games around the house.

August 2, 2012

Hannah (7) and Alena (9) are two sisters who live in Merkenbrechts, a village of 170 inhabitants in Waldviertel, an isolated rural area of Austria, near the Czech border. The girls have two older brothers, but spend much of their time together in a carefree life, swimming, playing outdoors, and engrossed in games around the house.

Hannah (7) and Alena (9) are two sisters who live in Merkenbrechts, a village of 170 inhabitants in Waldviertel, an isolated rural area of Austria, near the Czech border. The girls have two older brothers, but spend much of their time together in a carefree life, swimming, playing outdoors, and engrossed in games around the house.

December 29, 2012

Hannah (7) and Alena (9) are two sisters who live in Merkenbrechts, a village of 170 inhabitants in Waldviertel, an isolated rural area of Austria, near the Czech border. The girls have two older brothers, but spend much of their time together in a carefree life, swimming, playing outdoors, and engrossed in games around the house.

Hannah (7) and Alena (9) are two sisters who live in Merkenbrechts, a village of 170 inhabitants in Waldviertel, an isolated rural area of Austria, near the Czech border. The girls have two older brothers, but spend much of their time together in a carefree life, swimming, playing outdoors, and engrossed in games around the house.

August 12, 2013

Hannah (7) and Alena (9) are two sisters who live in Merkenbrechts, a village of 170 inhabitants in Waldviertel, an isolated rural area of Austria, near the Czech border. The girls have two older brothers, but spend much of their time together in a carefree life, swimming, playing outdoors, and engrossed in games around the house.

Hannah (7) and Alena (9) are two sisters who live in Merkenbrechts, a village of 170 inhabitants in Waldviertel, an isolated rural area of Austria, near the Czech border. The girls have two older brothers, but spend much of their time together in a carefree life, swimming, playing outdoors, and engrossed in games around the house.

August 16, 2013

Hannah (7) and Alena (9) are two sisters who live in Merkenbrechts, a village of 170 inhabitants in Waldviertel, an isolated rural area of Austria, near the Czech border. The girls have two older brothers, but spend much of their time together in a carefree life, swimming, playing outdoors, and engrossed in games around the house.

Hannah (7) and Alena (9) are two sisters who live in Merkenbrechts, a village of 170 inhabitants in Waldviertel, an isolated rural area of Austria, near the Czech border. The girls have two older brothers, but spend much of their time together in a carefree life, swimming, playing outdoors, and engrossed in games around the house.

May 1, 2013

Hannah (7) and Alena (9) are two sisters who live in Merkenbrechts, a village of 170 inhabitants in Waldviertel, an isolated rural area of Austria, near the Czech border. The girls have two older brothers, but spend much of their time together in a carefree life, swimming, playing outdoors, and engrossed in games around the house.

Hannah (7) and Alena (9) are two sisters who live in Merkenbrechts, a village of 170 inhabitants in Waldviertel, an isolated rural area of Austria, near the Czech border. The girls have two older brothers, but spend much of their time together in a carefree life, swimming, playing outdoors, and engrossed in games around the house.

July 19, 2012

Hannah (7) and Alena (9) are two sisters who live in Merkenbrechts, a village of 170 inhabitants in Waldviertel, an isolated rural area of Austria, near the Czech border. The girls have two older brothers, but spend much of their time together in a carefree life, swimming, playing outdoors, and engrossed in games around the house.

Hannah (7) and Alena (9) are two sisters who live in Merkenbrechts, a village of 170 inhabitants in Waldviertel, an isolated rural area of Austria, near the Czech border. The girls have two older brothers, but spend much of their time together in a carefree life, swimming, playing outdoors, and engrossed in games around the house.

August 5, 2013

Hannah (7) and Alena (9) are two sisters who live in Merkenbrechts, a village of 170 inhabitants in Waldviertel, an isolated rural area of Austria, near the Czech border. The girls have two older brothers, but spend much of their time together in a carefree life, swimming, playing outdoors, and engrossed in games around the house.

Hannah (7) and Alena (9) are two sisters who live in Merkenbrechts, a village of 170 inhabitants in Waldviertel, an isolated rural area of Austria, near the Czech border. The girls have two older brothers, but spend much of their time together in a carefree life, swimming, playing outdoors, and engrossed in games around the house.

August 18, 2013

Hannah (7) and Alena (9) are two sisters who live in Merkenbrechts, a village of 170 inhabitants in Waldviertel, an isolated rural area of Austria, near the Czech border. The girls have two older brothers, but spend much of their time together in a carefree life, swimming, playing outdoors, and engrossed in games around the house.

Hannah (7) and Alena (9) are two sisters who live in Merkenbrechts, a village of 170 inhabitants in Waldviertel, an isolated rural area of Austria, near the Czech border. The girls have two older brothers, but spend much of their time together in a carefree life, swimming, playing outdoors, and engrossed in games around the house.

May 1, 2013

Hannah (7) and Alena (9) are two sisters who live in Merkenbrechts, a village of 170 inhabitants in Waldviertel, an isolated rural area of Austria, near the Czech border. The girls have two older brothers, but spend much of their time together in a carefree life, swimming, playing outdoors, and engrossed in games around the house.

Hannah (7) and Alena (9) are two sisters who live in Merkenbrechts, a village of 170 inhabitants in Waldviertel, an isolated rural area of Austria, near the Czech border. The girls have two older brothers, but spend much of their time together in a carefree life, swimming, playing outdoors, and engrossed in games around the house.

August 16, 2013

Hannah (7) and Alena (9) are two sisters who live in Merkenbrechts, a village of 170 inhabitants in Waldviertel, an isolated rural area of Austria, near the Czech border. The girls have two older brothers, but spend much of their time together in a carefree life, swimming, playing outdoors, and engrossed in games around the house.

Ich Bin Waldviertel

Observed Portraits, first prize stories

July 20, 2012

Hannah (7) and Alena (9) are two sisters who live in Merkenbrechts, a village of 170 inhabitants in Waldviertel, an isolated rural area of Austria, near the Czech border. The girls have two older brothers, but spend much of their time together in a carefree life, swimming, playing outdoors, and engrossed in games around the house.

Carla Kogelman

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About the photographer

Carla Kogelman

Carla Kogelman (b. 1961) has worked in the theatre industry for 25 years. In December 2011, she graduated at the Foto Academie Amsterdam. She was always interested in the stories backstage, the actors' stories instead of those being performed on stage. Her portrait series of actors backstage won first prize at the Zilveren Camera in 2011 and the Dutch national photography portfolio contest, the SO (Selection Of Dutch Photography) Awards, in 2013.

In 2012, she was commissioned by Szene Bunte Wähne, a youth theater festival in Austria, to make a documentary about the rural Waldviertel region.

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